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South Korea to Enact Climate Adaptation Law, Deploy AI to Predict Floods and Extreme Weather

South Korea to Enact Climate Adaptation Law, Deploy AI to Predict Floods and Extreme Weather

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s government plans to enact a sweeping Climate Adaptation Act next year and expand the use of artificial intelligence to forecast floods, road icing and wildfires, as it steps up preparations for intensifying climate risks, officials said Tuesday. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said the Fourth National [...]

Korea Relaxes Waste Import Insurance Requirements to Boost Recycling

Korea Relaxes Waste Import Insurance Requirements to Boost Recycling

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) —  South Korea will exempt a wider range of low-risk recyclable materials from mandatory import insurance requirements, a move aimed at securing recycling inputs and accelerating the country’s transition to a circular economy, the government said Monday. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that it will revise enforcement [...]

Active Play Program Helps Cut Childhood Obesity Rates

Active Play Program Helps Cut Childhood Obesity Rates

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Replacing screen time with traditional outdoor games has led to measurable improvements in weight and eating habits among South Korean elementary school students, according to government data released Tuesday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute said the “Healthy Care Playground” program, designed to promote [...]

South Korea Unveils Consumer Protection Plan Targeting Dark Patterns and Safety Gaps

South Korea Unveils Consumer Protection Plan Targeting Dark Patterns and Safety Gaps

SEJONG, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s government on Tuesday approved a sweeping consumer protection plan aimed at preventing harm before it occurs, stepping up scrutiny of deceptive digital marketing practices known as “dark patterns” and tightening safety standards for everyday products, officials said. The Consumer Policy Committee, chaired by Kim Sung-sook, approved the 2026 [...]

Korea to Begin Pilot Voyages on Arctic Sea Route Next Year

Korea to Begin Pilot Voyages on Arctic Sea Route Next Year

BUSAN & SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s oceans ministry said on Tuesday that it would begin preparing trial voyages along the Arctic shipping route next year, positioning the country to take advantage of new maritime pathways opening as climate change reshapes global trade and fishing conditions. At a presidential policy briefing in Busan, [...]

Seoul Moves to Strengthen Consumer Safeguards Across Financial Products

Seoul Moves to Strengthen Consumer Safeguards Across Financial Products

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial watchdog on Monday unveiled an ambitious roadmap to overhaul consumer protection, signaling a shift away from after-the-fact remedies toward preemptive intervention across the life cycle of financial products. The Financial Supervisory Service said it aims to make 2025 a “foundational year” for substantive consumer protection by embedding [...]

Korea Pushes Chemical Industry Overhaul as Petrochemical Oversupply Deepens

Korea Pushes Chemical Industry Overhaul as Petrochemical Oversupply Deepens

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government on Tuesday laid out a five-year strategy aimed at overhauling the country’s chemical industry, betting that a shift toward high-value and environmentally friendly products will help it fend off mounting competition and chronic oversupply from China. Under the plan, announced by the Ministry of Trade, [...]

Korea Bets on ‘Physical A.I.’ to Reinvent Farming and Food Industries

Korea Bets on ‘Physical A.I.’ to Reinvent Farming and Food Industries

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Senior South Korean officials on Monday pledged to speed the adoption of artificial intelligence across the agriculture and food sectors, positioning so-called “physical A.I.” as a key response to rural labor shortages and an aging farming population. Bae Kyung-hoon, the deputy prime minister and minister of science and information and [...]

As Bank Bonuses Swell, Korea’s Regulator Questions Incentives Built on Short-Term Gains

As Bank Bonuses Swell, Korea’s Regulator Questions Incentives Built on Short-Term Gains

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial watchdog warned on Monday that bonus systems at banks and other financial institutions remain overly focused on short-term performance, even as incentive pay surged more than 30 percent last year. The Financial Supervisory Service said total performance-based compensation paid to employees at financial companies reached 1.396 trillion [...]

South Korea Sees Deep Cuts in Petrochemical Capacity as Firms Submit Restructuring Plans

South Korea Sees Deep Cuts in Petrochemical Capacity as Firms Submit Restructuring Plans

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government said it expects domestic petrochemical producers to cut as much as 3.7 million tons of naphtha cracking capacity, a key goal of a sweeping industry restructuring drive aimed at restoring competitiveness in an oversupplied global market. After reviewing restructuring plans submitted by major producers, the Ministry [...]